Having all the preschoolers greet each other at the beginning of the day makes everyone feel included. Teach preschoolers how to say hello in a variety of languages. Hang these words near your circle area and remind children what language each one is every morning. Move around the circle with a small drum or tambourine. When you reach each child, say hello and let her hit the instrument. When you’re done, ask children to turn to one another and say hello in a different language.
Keeping track of the weather teaches preschoolers about seasons and gives them an idea of whether they’ll be able to play outside that day. Take preschoolers outside or let them look out the windows and report on what’s happening outside. Choose a few students to report each day, or let the entire class go outside to check. Ask children to describe what the sky looks like, what the air feels like and what they think will happen that day with the weather. Write all the information on a white board or piece of paper tacked to the wall. At the end of the day, ask children to compare the actual weather with their predictions.
If your program starts early in the morning, you’re bound to have a few sleepyheads in the class. Lead everyone in some exercises to wake up and get energized for the day. Have students spread out so they can’t touch one another. Stand at the front of the room and do a series of exercises like jumping jacks, push-ups and toe touches. Play up-tempo music while you exercise. If children seem to be getting rambunctious, switch to calming music and do some slow stretches to end the exercise routine.
Preschoolers need to know that their presence and thoughts are appreciated by their teachers and classmates, so letting each child talk at the beginning of the day will make him feel validated. Gather students in a circle and give each one a turn to report. Give children a certain topic, like what they did at home last night or what they dreamed about, or let them talk about whatever’s on their minds. Some children will want to talk for 5 minutes, so set a timer for 30 seconds and hold it up so each child can see when it’s time to stop talking.